dickerson



No. 607,655. Patented July [9, I898. E. N. DIDKERSON. PROCESS OF ANDAPPARATUS FOR GENERATING POWER FROM COMPRESSED G A S E S (Applicationfiled Feb. 27, 1895.)

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Unites States Parana warren,

EDXVARD N. DIOKERSON, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING POWER FROM COMPRESSED GASES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,655, dated July 19,1898.

Application filed February 27, 1895. Serial No. 539,873. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, EDWARD N. DICKERSON, of N0. 253 Broadway, in the city,county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovementin Processes of and Apparatus for Generating'Power fromCompressed Gases by Expanding and Subsequently Burning the Same, ofwhich the following is a full,

true, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing.

This invention is designed to utilize the power derived from theexpansion of such gases as acetylene, which may be liquefied and whichare combustible.

Acetylene gascan be readily liquefied, and also as it expands from itsliquefied condition can be used to drive a motor and can be subsequentlyutilized in a gas-engine by burning or exploding the same in suchgas-engine. Such liquefied combustible gas in expanding from a liquid toa gaseous condition maintains constantly its maximum pressure, say,foracetylene gas,six hundred and fifty pounds (650 lbs.) to the squareinch at normal temperatures. This pressure will continue until all ofthe liquefied gas is exhausted, whereas if a compressed butnon-liquefied gas is used the maximum pressure constantly diminishes,and if in this case a reducing-valve reducing the pressure to theminimum desired pressure be employed, independent of any loss of powerwhich might result from such reduction, it is obvious that amotor-cylinder of much greater capacity is required to do the same workthan is the case where the maximum gaseous pressure from the liquefiedgas is constantly employed. It is obvious likewise that in thisexpansion from aliquid to a gaseous condition units of cold, so tospeak, are produced, which can be used advantageously in reducing theexcessive temperature of the explosion-cylinder without employing anyadditional cooling means or material. The expansion of liquefiedacetylene through a motor produces a low degree of temperature in theexpanded acetylene, and I propose to utilize this cold in a gas-enginewhere such cold is desirable, while at the same time the heat derivedfrom the explosion in the gasengine can be used to heat the acetylenewhich has been cooled by its expansion in the motor. The special valueof this operation is that the expansion of theliquefied gas from thecondition of a liquid to a gas requires for its conversion from one formof matter to another a large number of heat units. The cold thusproduced is used in the subsequent explosion-cylinder, therebypreventing the overheating of that cylinder, it being well known thatgas-explosion cylinders require an independent cooling medium for theirpractical operation, whereas by the operation of this device thenecessity of such independent cooling medium is in whole or in partdispensed with.

My invention will be readily understood from the accompanying drawing,which represents a diagrammatic plan, partly'in elevation, of myinvention.

A represents areceptacle containing liquefied combustible gas, bypreference liquefied acetylene. At ordinary temperatures this gasliquefies at a pressure of from six to seven hundred pounds per squareinch. The gas passes by pipe B through valve f to motor C, which may beof an y ordinary suitable construction, where it does the work ofdriving the fly-wheel M. In doing this work and in expanding from thechamber A the tempera ture of the acetylene has become much reduced.Thence the cold gas passes by pipe D, the cocks at and Z being closed,to the ex terior jacket of gas-engine G, which it cools in place of theordinary water-current. Passingi through the jacket, the gas escapes bypipe 0 through open cock 0 and is then exploded in the chamber, cock I)being closed. The exhaust-gases pass to pipe J and may escape to theatmosphere through exhaust-cock g. If, however, it is desirable to usethese hot gases to warm the incoming gas, the cock is opened, whichallows the exhaust-gases to pass into the chamber E. Then the cock 9being closed and the cock h being opened the heated gases enter thejacket surrounding the reservoir E and escape through the exhaust-pipeL, the valve e being open.

desired that all the gases escaping from the motor 0 shall pass throughthe reservoir E, the cook 75 is closed and cock Z opened, when theexhaust from the motor 0 passes by pipe B through reservoir E and thenceto the gasengine, where, as usual, the gas and air are combined andexploded.

In case it is de- If it is IOO sired to make an interchange of heatsubsequent to cooling the cylinder the arrangement is as follows: Theexhaust from motor 0 passes by pipe D, cocks a and Z being closed,through the jacket G of the cylinder F, and thence 'by pipe 0 to pipe S,cock p being closed and cock 1 being opened. Thence escaping by pipe Pthrough cock I) it enters the cylinder through pipe M, escapes as beforeby pipe J, cock 9 being closed, enters the jacket of reservoir E, andescapes by pipe L through cock e. In this way the cold gas is used tocool the gas-engine. It subsequently acquires heat from the exploded gasbefore it is itself exploded.

The fly-wheel M, driven by motor 0, and the fiy-wheel N, driven by motorG, may be belted together to the counter-shaft 0, or t ieir power may beused independently of each other, or they may be connected otherwisethan as shown.

It is apparent that the principle of this invention can be used in otherforms than that indicated, the essential novelty of the process beingthe cooling and subsequent drivin g of a gas-engine by expandedliquefied gas.

I am aware that it has been proposed to construct apparatus in which acompressed gas, non-liquefied, is used to operate an engine by directpressure and subsequently a gas-engine by its explosion. In this casethe cold produced from the expansion of the liquefied gas is notutilized. It is further apparent that the gas-pressure of such device isconstantly diminishing, thereby making a varying power, or else, if areducing-valve be employed, which has not been proposed, a much lesspressure than the maximum pres sure can alone be utilized. It is obviousthat though my invention works best as shown, wherein the combination ofthe motor-cylinder and the explosion-cylinder is employed, yet parts ofthe inventionas, for instance, the cooling effect in theexplosion-cylinder can be utilized independent of themotorcylinder, inwhich case the gas would pass directly to the explosion-cylinder,instead of through the motor-cylinder.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The within-described process of generating power consisting in firstproducing a liquefied gas, then releasing the pressure and expanding thegas in contact with a movable object thereby securing the cooling of thegas, then passing the gas to an explosion-chamber to cool the latter,and then combining the gas with air and exploding the mixture in saidchamber in contact with another movable object, substantially asdescribed,

2. The process of generating power from liquefied gas,which consists inexpanding the same through a motor, thereby cooling the gas, inutilizing said cooled gas in the jacket of an explosionengine, and inexploding the gas with air in the gas-engine, substantially asdescribed.

3. The process of generating power from liquefied gas, which consists inexpanding the same through a motor, thereby cooling the gas, inutilizing said cooled gas in thejacket of an explosion-engine, and inexploding a mixture of the gas and air in the gas-engine,

having previously heated the gas to be exploded by the exploded gas,substantially as described.

4. The combination of the liquefied-gas receptacle A, the motor 0, thejacketed gas-engine G, the intermediate reservoir E, and the connectionsshown for cooling the gas-engine G and exchanging heat between thecooled gas coming from the motor 0 and the products of combustion fromthe gas-engine, G, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the liquefied-gas receptacle A, motor 0, jacketedgas-engine G, jacketed reservoir E, and connections shown for leadingthe expanded cooled gas through the jacket of the gas-engine inconnection with the reservoir E, and the connections shown from theexhaust of the gas-engine for warming the cooled gas in the reservoir E,substantially as described.

6. The combination of a receptacle for containing liquefied gas, aconnection from said receptacle to a motor driven by the pressure of thegas, a motor driven by the pressure of the gas, a jacketed gas-engineoperated by the explosion of said gas, a connection from the motor tothe jacket of the gas-engine, and from the jacket of the gas-engine tothe interior of the gas-engine, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the liquefied-gas re ceptacle A, and motor 0,drivenby the pressure of the gas, with the gas-engine G, primarilycooled by the gas from the motor 0, and subsequently operated by theexplosion of the gas derived from said motor G, the said motor 0 and thegas-engine'E being connected with and operating a driving-shaft,substantially as described.

8. The within-described improved mode of preventing the undue heating ofparts of a gasengine, consisting in conducting to said parts the gasresulting from releasing the pressure upon acombustible gas in aliquidstate, substantially as described.

9. In the art of obtaining motive power from liquefied gas, releasingthe pressure upon said liquefied gas and cond ucting the resultant gasto the heated parts of a gas-engine, then pass ing the gas in contactwith parts heated by the exhaust, and combining air with the gas, andexploding the mixture, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. N. DICKERSON.

\Vitnesses:

II. OOUTANT, W. LAIRD GOLDSBOROUGH.

